The Federal Government has approved a ₦70,000 monthly transport intervention for public service workers across all levels for six months, beginning in November 2026, to cushion the effects of rising living costs.
The approval was one of the resolutions reached at a conciliation meeting between the Federal Government and the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Abuja on Tuesday, October 27, following renewed pressure from organised labour over workers’ welfare and outstanding agreements.
Under the agreement, the government also approved the payment of outstanding peculiar allowance arrears, effective from May 1, 2026, in three equal monthly instalments beginning in November.
However, the parties failed to reach an agreement on the effective date for implementing the national minimum wage, although they resolved that the Minimum Wage Negotiation Committee would be constituted and commence meetings immediately.
The resolutions were contained in a memorandum of understanding signed by the Director-General of Budget, Timi Yakubu; NLC President, Joe Ajaero; the Permanent Secretary, Service Welfare Office, Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr Garba Abdul S.U.; and the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi.
The memorandum also outlined agreements and discussions on health workers’ remuneration, tax relief and hazard allowances for agricultural officers.
On the transport intervention, the document stated that the ₦70,000 monthly support would be paid across all levels for six months, beginning in November. However, it did not specify the payment date within each month or the administrative arrangements for disbursement.
The agreement comes amid persistent concerns over transportation costs and the prices of essential goods following the removal of the petrol subsidy in May 2023.
Organised labour has repeatedly called for measures to ease the economic pressure on workers, including improved wages, lower petrol prices and the implementation of outstanding welfare agreements.
The memorandum also acknowledged the NLC leadership’s concerns about the government’s handling of its demands.
While the union expressed dissatisfaction with the government’s approach to the issues raised, the Federal Government reaffirmed its recognition of organised labour’s right to advocate improved working conditions, adding that it was making efforts to address the demands through structured interventions.
On the national minimum wage, both parties agreed to constitute the negotiation committee and begin meetings immediately. However, the effective date of implementation remained unresolved.
The memorandum stated that the parties had agreed to commence negotiations without delay but noted that they disagreed on when the implementation should take effect.
The latest development follows the 2024 negotiations that led to an increase in Nigeria’s statutory minimum monthly wage from ₦30,000 to ₦70,000, subsequently enacted into law through the National Minimum Wage Act.
The new agreement does not specify the details of the proposal currently under consideration or a timeline for resolving the disagreement over the implementation date.
The conciliation meeting followed an earlier session held on October 22, convened by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment to address disagreements between the government and organised labour.
